Do not feel secure of Allah's Punishment

O you who are deceived by false hopes! Satan was cursed and descended from the glorious abode by neglecting one prostration he was ordered to perform. Adam descended from Paradise because of a mouthful he ate. The criminal was separated by a handful of blood. Moreover, the adulterer is supposed to be killed in the most awful way because he committed an unlawful act. Flogging is enjoined on him who says a word of slander, or drinks a drop of liquor. He (Allah) ordered that one of your hands should be cut in case theft is committed, so do not feel secure, for He might cast you into Hellfire because of only one sin.
Allah, the Almighty says,

وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا 

(Meaning of the Ayah), "And He (Allah) feared not the consequences thereof." (Ash-Shams, 91:15)

A woman was cast into Hellfire because of a cat. One may utter a word carelessly, which displeases Allah. This might be done without thinking about the gravity of the word, and then because of that he will be thrown into the Hellfire, like the distance between the east and the west. And one may obey Allah for sixty years, and at his death he misjudges, and this will be the reason for his being thrown into Hellfire. The person’s lifetime is judged by its end, and man's actions are regarded by their final deeds. Whoever breaks his ablution before the final salutation, surely his prayer becomes invalid, and whoever breaks his fast before sunset, surely his fast is invalid, and whoever is sinful at the end of his life, surely he will meet Allah in that state. If you give charity, surely you will find the blessings thereof, but beware of greed. How many times do you seek a good reward but it is rejected because of procrastination?

Verily, no salvation is found when faith is incomplete, when false hope is overestimated, when a disease has no remedy or visitor, when one insists on vain desires, when a sleeping heedless mind wanders blindly in wild intoxication, overwhelmed by its ignorance, feeling alienated from his Lord, and finding delight with his servants, and remembering people is his power and pleasure, while remembering Allah is his prison and death. To Allah he offers superficial acts of worship, and to people his devotion and trust are directed.

Taken from Al Fawaid by Ibn al-Qayyim 

Remembrance of Allah and reciting Quran

Ibn Taimiyaa wrote, "Remembrance of Allah is to the heart what water is to fish. What happens to a fish when it is taken out of water?" Imam Shams ad-Din ibn al-Qayyim wrote about nearly eighty benefits that come with dhikru'llah in his book al-Wabil al-Sayyib. We shall quote some of them here, although we recommend the reader to refer to this book itself because of its great value.


Remembrance of Allah is sustenance for both the heart and the spirit. If the servant is deprived of it he becomes like a body which has been deprived of food.

Remembrance of Allah also drives away shaytan, suppressing him and breaking him; it is pleasing to the Merciful, Might and Exalted is He, dispels worry and melancholy from the heart, adorns it with delight and joy, fills the heart and face with light, and cloaks the one who remembers Allah with dignity, gentleness and freshness. It instils love for Allah, fear of Him, and relating all matters to Him. It also enhances Allah's remembrance of His servant, for as Allah says:
So remember Me - I will remember you. (2:152)


Even if this were the only reward for the remembrance of Allah, it would be mercy and honour enough, for such a heart is always aware and free from wrong actions.

Although remembrance is one of the easiest forms of worship, the mercy and honour that it brings cannot be acheived by any other means. Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, "Whoever recites the words, "There is no god but Allah, the One, having no partner with Him. Sovereignty belongs to Him and All praise is due to Him, and He is Powerful over everything', one hundred times every day, there is a reward equal to freeing ten slaves for him, and a hundred good actions are recorded for him, and a hundred wrong actions are removed from his record. That is a safeguard for him against shaytan on that day until evening, and no one brings anything more excellent than this, except the one who has done more than this (that is, who recites these words more than one hundred times)."

Jabir reported that the Prophet  (Peace be upon him) said, "Whoever recites the words, "Glory be to Allah and His is the praise', will have a palm tree planted for him in the Garden."


Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "To Praise Allah, may He be Exalted, is more dear to me than spending the same number of dinars (as the number of times I praise Him) in the way of Allah."

Remembrance of Allah is a remedy for hard hearts. A man once told al-Hassan, "O Abu Sa'id, I complain to you about the hardness of my heart." He said, "Soften it with the remembrance of Allah." Makhul said, "Remembrance of Allah is (a sign of) health, while remembrance of people is like a disease." A man once asked Salman, "Which deeds are the best?" He said, "Haven't you read in the Qur'an:
And the remembrance of Allah is greatest. (29:45)


Abu Musa once related that the Prophet  (Peace be upon him) said, "The difference between the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not is like the difference between the living and the dead."


Abdullah ibn Busr related that a man once told the Prophet  (Peace be upon him), "The roads to good are many and I am unable to take all of them, so please tell me something to which I can hold fast, but do not overburden me lest I forget it." He said, "Make sure that your tongue is moist and supple with the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted."


Continual remembrance of Allah increases a servant's good witnesses on the Day of Resurrection. It is a means which prevents him from talking in the wrong way, such as backbiting and spreading tales and their like. Either the tongue is mentioning Allah and remembering Him, or it is talking incorrectly.

Whoever has the gates of remembrance opened to him has an opening to his Lord, Mighty and Glorious is He, through which he will find what he seeks. If he finds Allah, he has found everything. If he misses the opportunity, he has missed everything.

There are several types of remembrance. The remembrance of the Names of Allah, Mighty and Glorious is He, the remembrance of His Attributes, and praising Him and thanking Him. All of these can take the form of saying, for example, 'Glory be to Allah', 'Praise be to Allah', 'There is no god but Allah'. A servant can also remember Allah by referring to His Names and Attributes, such as by saying, for example, "Allah, Mighty and Glorious is He, Hears all that his servants say and do"; or by mentioning what He has commanded and what He has forbidden, such as saying, "Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, commands such and such, or forbids such and such."

A servant can also remember Allah by talking about His blessings, while the best type of remembrance is the recitation of the Qur'an, because this contains remedies to cure the heart from all illnesses. Allah, the Exalted, says:
O mankind, there has come to you a protection from your Lord and a healing for what is in your hearts, and for those who believe, a guidance and a mercy. ( 10:57 )
And also::
We send down in the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy for those who believe. (17:82)


All the illnesses of the heart result from desires and doubt, and the Qur'an is a cure for both. It has enough clear signs and proofs to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and thus it cures the diseases of doubt which ruin knowledge, understanding and perception, by enabling a person to see things as they really are. Whoever studies the Qur'an, and allows it to be absorbed by his heart, will recognise truth and falsehood and will be able to distinguish between them, just as he is able to distinguish between night and day.

As for curing the diseases that arise from desires, it is because it contains wisdom and good counsel. This recommends avoiding worldly gains and inspires a yearning for the akhira.

The Prophet  (Peace be upon him)once said, "Whoever wants to love Allah and His Messenger should read the Qur'an."


The Qur'an is also the best means for bringing the servant nearer to his Lord, Glorious and Exalted is He. Khabab ibn al-Arat said to a man, "Draw closer to Allah as much as you can, and remember that you can do so by no means more pleasing to Him than using His own words."

Ibn Mas'ud said, "Whoever loves the Qur'an loves Allah and His Messenger," and Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "If your hearts were really pure, they would never have enough of reciting Allah's words."

All in all, the most benefical thing for the servant is to remember Allah, Mighty and Glorious is He, constantly:
Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. ( 13:28 )


The Best kind of remembrance is to recite the Book of Allah, the Glorious and Exalted.


Source: purification of the soul by Ahmed Farid

The story of Al-Jassasah and the dajjal

‘Aamir ibn Sharaaheel Al-Sha’bi Sha’b Hamdaan narrated that he asked Faatimah bint Qays, The sister of Al-Dahhaak ibn Qays, who was the earliest Muhaajir women, “Relate to me a Hadeeth that you heard directly from the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him)”

She said,”If you wish, I will do that. “He said to her, “Yes, tell me.” She said:

 “I heard the voice of the caller of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) saying: Al-salaatu jaami’ah (prayer is about to begin), so I went out to the mosque and I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). I was in the women’s row that was closest to the people. When the Messenger of Allah had finished his prayer, he sat on the Minbar and he was smiling. He said, “Let each person stay in the place where he just prayed, “Then he said, “Do you know why I called you together?” They said, “Allah and his Messenger (Peace be upon him) know best.” He said, “By Allah, I did not call you together for something good or for some alarming news. I have called you together because Tameem Al-Daari was a Christian and he came and swore allegiance and became Muslim, and told me something which agrees with what I was telling you about the Dajjal (false messiah).

He told me that he sailed in a ship with thirty men of Lakhm and Judhaam and they were tossed by the waves of the sea for a month. They came to an island at sunset. They sat in a small rowing-boat and landed on that island. They were met by a beast with a great deal of hair and they could not distinguish his face from his back because he was so hairy. They said: “woe to you, what are you?” It said Al-Jassaasah. “They said: “what is Al-Jassasah?” It said, “people, go to this man in the monastery for he is keen to know about you,”’’

He the narrator said, when it named a man for us we were afraid of it lest it be a devil. Then we set off, rushing , until we came to that monastery, where we found the hugest man we has ever seen, bound strongly in chains with his hands tied to his neck and his legs bound from the knees to the ankles with iron shackles. We said, “woe to you, who are you?” He said , “you will soon find out about me ; tell  me who you are,” They said , “we are people from Arabia who embarked on a ship, but the sea became wild and the waves tossed us about for one month, then it brought us to this island of yours. We took to the rowing boats and landed on this island. We were met by a beast with a great deal of hair and we could not tell his front from his back. We said: “woe to you, what are you?” It said I am Al-Jassaasah. “We said: “what is Al-Jassasah?” It said, “, go to this man in the monastery for he is keen to know about you,”’

So we came rushing to you and we fled from it because we could not be sure that it was a devil.

He (that chained person) said: “Tell me about the date palm trees of Baysaan(1). We said “What do you want to know about them?” He said, “I am asking you whether those trees bear fruits” We said “Yes”. He said, “Soon they will not bear fruit.” He said, “Tell me about the Tiberias(2)” we said, “ what do you want to know about it” He said “Is there water in it” They said, “There is a great deal of water in it.” He said, “Soon it will dry up.” Then he said, “Tell me about the spring of Zughar(3). We said “What do you want to know about it?” He said, “Is there water in the spring and does the people grow crops with the water of the spring?” We said to him, “Yes there is plenty of water in it and the people grow crops with its water” he said, “Tell me about the Prophet of the unlettered; what has he done?” we said “He has left Makkah and has settled in Yathrib (Madeenah).” He said, “Do the Arabs fight against him” We said “Yes” He said “How did he deal with them” We told him that he had prevailed over the Arabs in his vicinity and they shown obedience to him. He said to us” Has it really happened” We said “Yes”

He said “if it is so that is better for them that they show obedience to him. Now I will tell you about myself. I am the dajjal and soon I will be given permission to emerge., So I will come out an travel in the land, and will not spare any town but I will stay for forty nights, except Makkah and Taybah (Madeenah). They are both forbidden to me, Every time I try to enter one of them, I will be met by an angel with a sword in his hand, who will bar my way, and on every route there will be angels guarding it”.

She said, Then the Messenger (Peace be upon him) struck the Minbar with his staff and said “This is Taybah, this is Taybah, this is Taybah, meaning Madeenah. Did I not tell you this before?” The people said “Yes” (The prophet (Peace be upon him) “I liked the story of Tameem because it agrees with what I used to tell you about him and about Makkah and Madeenah. But he is in Syrian Sea (Mediterranean) or the Yemeni Sea (Arabian Sea). No rather he is in the east, he is in the east, he is in the east. “ And he pointed towards the east with his hand. She said, “I memorized this from the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). “

(1)     Baysaan: a city on the western side of the Jordon basin,south west of Tiberias.

(2)     Tiberias: Between Jordon and Palestine.

(3)     Zughar: A village in Syria on the banks of the Dead Sea (the sea of Zughar), Ibn Al-Atheer said: Zughar is a spring in Syria, in the area of Al-Balqa’. 


Souce: The end of the world by Dr. Muhammad al-'Areefi

Some beautiful advice given to Imam Ahmad by righteous people

By: Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

When the Muslim is faced with trials and his Lord tests him in order to purify him, one of the means which Allah gives him to help him stand firm is a righteous man who will advise and help him. Through this man’s words Allah helps the believer to stand firm and directs his steps. These words remind him of Allah, the Meeting with Him, His Paradise and His Hell. There follow some examples from the life of Imaam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), who entered the test and emerged as pure gold.

He was taken to al Ma’moon in chains, and (al-Ma’moon) had already issued him such a stern warning before he reached him that a servant said to Imaam Ahmad, “It hurts me, O Abu ‘Abd-Allaah, that al-Ma’moon has unsheathed a sword which he has never unsheathed before, and he swears by his relationship to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that if you do not accept what he says about the Qur’aan being created, he will certainly kill you with that sword.” (Al- Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, 1/332)

At this point, the intelligent scholars took the opportunity to say to their imaam words that would help him to remain steadfast. In al-Siyar (11/238), al-Dhahabi reports from Abu Ja’far al-Anbaari: “When Ahmad was taken to al-Ma’moon, I was told about it, so I crossed the Euphrates and found him sitting in an inn, where I greeted him. He said, ‘O Abu Ja’far, why did you go to the trouble (of coming here)?’ I said, ‘Listen to me, today you are the leader and the people are following you. By Allah, if you accept that the Qur’aan is created, a lot of people will go along with that, but if you do not, then neither will they. Even if this man (al-Ma’moon) does not kill you, you will still die, because death is inevitable, so fear Allah, and do not go along with (al- Ma’moon).’ Ahmad began to weep and said, ‘Ma sha Allah.’ Then he said, ‘O Abu Ja’far, say it again,’ so I said it again, and he kept saying, ‘Ma sha Allah.’…”

With regard to his being taken to al-Ma’moon, Imaam Ahmad said: “We reached al- Rahbah at midnight, and a man came to us and said, ‘Which of you is Ahmad ibn Hanbal?’ He was told, ‘This man.’ He said to the camel-driver, ‘Slow down.’ … Then he said, ‘Listen to me, why should you worry if you get killed here and go to Paradise?’ Then he said, ‘May Allah be with you,’ and left. I asked about him and I was told, ‘He is an Arab from the tribe of Rabee’ah who deals with wool in the desert. He is called Jaabir ibn ‘Aamir, and they say good things about him.’” (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 11/241).

In al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, it says that a Bedouin said to Imaam Ahmad: “Listen to me, you are a representative of the people, so do not be bad news for them. You are the leader of the people today, so beware of doing what they are asking you to do, lest you bear their sins on the Day of Resurrection. If you love Allah, then bear this with patience, for the only thing standing between you and Paradise is your being killed.” Imaam Ahmad said: “His words strengthened my resolve not to do what they were asking me to do.” (Al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, 1/332).

It was reported that Imaam Ahmad said: “I never heard any stronger words at that time than what a Bedouin said to me at Rahbat Tawq, a village between al-Raqqah and Baghdaad on the banks of the Euphrates. He said, ‘O Ahmad, if they kill you for the truth, you will be a shaheed (martyr), and if you live, you will be praised.’ And so my heart grew strong.” (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 11/241).

Imaam Ahmad said of the young man Muhammad ibn Nooh, who accompanied him at that time of trial: “Even though he was so young, he had such great knowledge, and I never saw anyone who adhered more firmly to the command of Allah than Muhammad ibn Nooh, and I hope that his end was good. He said to me one day, ‘O Abu ‘Abd-Allaah, you are not like me. You are a man whom people follow, and they are straining their necks to see what you will do, so fear Allah and adhere to His commands.’ Then he died, and I prayed the janaazah (funeral) prayer for him and buried him.” (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 11/242)

Even his fellow-prisoners, whom Imaam Ahmad used to lead in prayer in chains, had a role to play in helping him to stand firm. One day when he was in prison, Imaam Ahmad said, “I don’t care about being in prison – it is no different from my home – or about being killed by the sword, but I am afraid of the trial of being whipped.” One of the other prisoners heard him and said, “Don’t worry, O Abu ‘Abd-Allah, it is only two lashes of the whip, then you don’t feel where the rest fall.” It was as if this reassured him and calmed him down. (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 11/240)

So try to seek advice from righteous people, and try to understand it if it is given to you.

Source: Wasaa’il al-Thabaat- (English translation: Means of Steadfastness: Standing Firm in Islam)

The scholars tests the memory of Imam Bukhari

One of the most telling stories about Imam Bukharee’s (May Allah have Mercy on him) intelligence and powerful memory was related by Ahmad ibn’ Adee al-Hafiz. Ahmad was present when a number of Baghdad’s most eminent scholars were discussing the arrival of Muhammad ibn Ismael al-Bukharee in their native city. The scholars of Hadeeth were particularly excited by his arrival, and they decided to put his knowledge and memory to the test. The plan they agreed upon was as follows: They would choose one hundred Hadeeth narrations and mix up the text s of those narrations with their chains of narrators; in the end each text would be matched with an incorrect chain. And they appointed ten people to conduct the test; each of those ten people was to present ten incorrect Hadeeth narrations to Imam Bukharee.

When Imam Bukharee (May Allah have Mercy on him) attended a gathering, the above mentioned scholars put their plan into action, and the ten chosen examiners sat in the front of the gathering so they could easily execute their plan; however only some people in the gathering, and not everyone , knew in advance about the planned test.

At the outset of the gathering, one of the ten men began by mentioning one of his incorrect Hadeeth, (and by incorrect, I mean that the text of the Hadeeth narration did not correctly correspond to its chain of narrators). Imam Bukharee responded “I do not know this Hadeeth” Those who did not know about a plan were surprised that Imam Bukharee , who was renowned for his knowledge of Hadeeth, did not know about a Hadeeth narration; meanwhile , those who knew about the plan were well pleased with his answer. The first examiner continued to mention one narration after another until he reached his tenth and final narration; and in response to each narration, Imam Bukharee said, “I don’t not know this Hadeeth”. The scholars who knew about the plan began to give knowing looks to one another, as if to say: Yes, he understands very well what we are doing. Meanwhile everyone else was beginning to have doubts about Imam bukharee’s knowledge. Perhaps they thought his reputation as a scholar and memorizer of Hadeeth narrations had been blown way out of proportion.  Such doubts grew in intensity when the next examiner presented ten Hadeeth narrations, and when in response to each of those narrations, Imam Bukharee said, “I do not know this Hadeeth narration”. This pattern continued until the tenth and final examiner mentioned his tenth and final narration. Every time one of the ten examiners mentioned a Hadeeth narration, Imam Bukharee said, “I do not know this Hadeeth narration.”

After the tenth examiner mentioned his final narration there was complete silence in the gathering, and Imam Bukharee realized that they were all finished and that it was his turn to speak. He turned to the first examiner and said, “As for the first Hadeeth you mentioned, you said such and such, but its correct version is such and such. As for the second Hadeeth you mentioned, you said such and such , but its correct version is such and such. And he continued in this manner until he corrected all ten narrations, matching each narration to its correct chain of narrators. Then he went on to do the same with the other nine examiners. When he was done, everyone that was present acknowledged his superior knowledge and memory.

Commenting on this story Al Hafiz ibn Hajar (May Allah have Mercy on him) wrote: It is not something to wonder at that he was able to correct the mistakes (that was presented to him) for that was to be expected from him since he was a prolific memorizer of Hadeeth narrations. What was so amazing was that, having heard the examiners presentations only once, he was to able to memorize, in order all of the mistakes that they presented to him. 

Source: The biography of Imam Bukharee by Salahudden ibn Alee ibn Abdul Maujood. 

Ibn al-Mubarak's letter to Fudayl ibn Iyad (Ya 'Abid Al Haramayn)

It is reported that when in Tarsus, Ibn al-Mubarak wrote a letter to his friend al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyadh (who was known for his worship in Makkah and Madinah), encouraging him to partake in Jihad and not to be satisfied with simply worshiping Allah in the mosques. Ibn Abi Sukaynah said, 'In Tarsus in the year 177 AH, Ibn al-Mubarak gave me a letter with the following verses. I bid farewell to him and went to deliver it to al-Fudhayl ibn 'Iyadh:

O Worshipper of the Two Holy Masjids

يا عابد الحرمين لو ابصرتنا

لعلمت انك في العبادة تلعب

من كان يخضب خده بدموعه

فنحورنا بدمائنا تتخضب

أو كان يتعب خيله في باطل

فخيولنا يوم الصبيحة تتعب

ريح العبير لكم ونحن عبيرنا

رهج السنابك والغبار الأطيب

ولقد اتانا من مقال نبينا

قول صحيح صادق لا يكذب

لا يستوي غبار خيل الله في

أنف امرئ ودخان نار تلهب

هذا كتاب الله يحكم بيننا

ليس الشهيد بميت لا يكذب


O Worshiper of the Two Holy Masjids!
Had you witnessed us in the battlefield
You would have known that, compared to our Jihad,
Your worship is child's play.
For every tear you have shed upon your cheek,
We have shed in its place, blood upon our chests.
You are playing with your worship,
While worshipers offer your worship
Mujahideen offer their blood and person (life).
The smell of nice perfume of is for you,
And our perfume is the dust and dirt (which is more pure),
And it has reached us from the sayings of our Prophet,
The martyr is not dead,
This is a true correct saying, in which there is no lie.
The dust of the people of Allah is never equal,
To a thousand men, whilst the smoke is climbing.
This is the book of Allah between us,
The martyr is not dead - and this is no lie

Ibn Abi Sukaynah said, 'So I met al-Fudhayl in the Haram (Makkah) with the letter and when he read it, tears came to his eyes and he said, 'Indeed, Abu Abdur-Rahman (Ibn al-Mubarak) has told the truth and he has certainly advised (me).

Source: The Life of ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Mubarak The scholar of the East and the scholar of the West Compiled by Farhia Yahya Based on the book 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, al-Imam al-Qudwah' By Muhammad 'Uthman Jamal
To download this book click here

To listen to the audio click here

The sincerity of the Salaf

The Salaf - may Allah be Pleased with them - were very particular about following the truth, even if it was unpleasant and sour. They were very particular about being truthful, even if this was very heavy and difficult to maintain. They were very particular about having both their apparent and inner conditions be one and the same, even if in the most difficult of circumstances. One of them would make sure to have deeds between himself and Allah that nobody else would know of. So, if the people were to come to know of this act of worship that he was engaged in, he would quickly leave that area in order that he would be once again hidden from the people.

Imam Ahmad – may Allah have Mercy upon him – when he would walk in the streets, he would walk amongst the laborers so that nobody would point to him out of respect, and so that the people would think him to just be another laborer, and would therefore not point to him out of respect.  One of them, when he would enter battle, would disguise himself, and if he ended up with an abundance of war booty, he would conceal his identity and abandon his booty so that the people would not know who had acquired it.

You all know the story of the one who dug the hole on the day that Maslamah bin ‘Abd al- Malik  had laid siege to a fortress for a lengthy period of time? On that night, one of the Mujahidin slowly crept up and scaled the wall of the fortress, descended upon the guards, killed them all, and dug open a hole in the wall of the fortress through which the Islamic army entered and took over the fortress. So, Maslamah called out for some time: “Which of you is the one who dug this hole?” Nobody stepped forth. One night, a veiled knight entered Maslamah’s tent, saying: “Do you wish to know who dug that hole?” Maslamah replied: “Yes.” The knight said: “I will tell you with the condition that you do not mention his name to anyone, and that you do not give him any reward or compensation for it.” He said: “Yes.” The knight said: “I am the one who dug that hole,” and did not reveal his name, and rode away quickly. So, after that, whenever Maslamah was facing the Qiblah while supplicating, he would say: “O Allah, gather me with the one who dug the hole on the Day of Resurrection.”

Source: Being true with Allah by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam

The supplication of 'Abdullah bin Jahash

Sa'd bin Abu Waqas (Radiyallahu anhu) relates a memorable incident from the life of 'Abdullah bin Jahash (Radiyallahu anhu).

"When the battle of Uhud was about to take place, 'Abdullah bin Jahash took me aside and asked me if I would not like to offer supplications to Allah. I answered that of course I would like to do so and prayed thus:

"O Allah Lord of the worlds! When I enter the battlefield let me come face to face with an enemy who is great and furious warrior. Let me engage with him a hand to hand fight and give me control over him until I finally overpower him completely. Then I should kill him and take away all his belongings."

Abdullah bin Jahash said " Ameen" after I completed my prayer.

Then Abdullah bin Jahash offered supplications to Allah:

"O Allah! Please give me the ability to fight against an enemy who is a furious, brave and experienced warrior. I should fight only to gain your pleasure and blessings. Then he should succeed in overpowering me and cut off my nose and ears. When I come into Your presence on the day of Judgement You should ask me: 'Abdullah why were your ears and nose cut off? Then I should answer you thus, 'For your sake O Lord'

The supplication of 'Abdullah bin Jahash was much better than mine, and Allah accepted it. In the evening I saw  that he had been killed and the enemy had strung his ears and nose on a string. He achieved the honorable status of a martyr like his maternal uncle, Hamzah.""

Source: Commanders of the Muslim Army

Imam Ash Shafi’ee visits Imam Ahmad

Imam Ahmad used to mention the virtues of his sheikh, Imam Ash Shafi’ee to his wife. He would mention to her the extensive and superb knowledge of Imam Ash Shafi’ee as well as his taqwah (i.e. piety). Imam Ahmad invited Imam Ash Shafi’ee to come visit him at his home. When the time for dinner arrived, Imam Ash Shafi’ee ate until he was full and went to the guest room for some sleep.

The wife of Imam Ahmad said to him: “O Ahmad! Is this the same Shafi’ee that you used to tell me so much about?“

Imam Ahmad said: “Indeed he is!“

So she said: “I noticed three things about him worthy of criticism! Firstly, when we served him the food, he ate plenty of it! Secondly, when he went into the guest room, he went to sleep without standing up to perform the night prayer (i.e. tahujjud)! Lastly, when he prayed Salat ul Fajr with us, he did not perform ablution (i.e. wudhu)?!”

So Imam Ahmad went to Imam Ash Shafi’ee to ask him about these three matters his wife noticed. Imam Ash Shafi’ee said to him, (the way a father would explain to his son): “O Ahmad! I ate plenty because I know for certain that your food is halal (i.e. permissible islamically) and you are a generous man! And the food that comes from a generous man is a cure, while the food that comes from a stingy man is a disease!

However, I didn’t eat plenty of food in order to achieve my fill; rather I ate plenty of your food in order to derive the cure from it! As for the reason I didn’t stand up at night to perform the night prayer, when I laid my head down to get some sleep, I looked and all I could see was the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa salam) right in front of my face! So I deducted 72 fiqh related benefits from them for the Muslims to benefit from. Thus there was no opportunity for me to stand and perform the night prayer!

As for the reason why I prayed Salat ul Fajr without performing ablution, by Allah! My eyes never tasted the sweetness of sleep in order for me to renew my wudhu!! I was awake the whole night, so I prayed Salat ul Fajr with the same wudhu I had for Salat ul Isha!!!“

[Collected by Al Hafidh Ibn Hajr in Fath ul Bari concisely and by Abu Nu’aim in Hilya tul Awliyaa’. Translated by Abu Azzubayr Shadeed Muhammad on 3/30/2010 in the City of Riyadh Saudi Arabia]

An evening with a scholar

By: Nishan
The temperature was blazing outside. But our zeal to see the holy city of Medina was overwhelming. A colleague of us studying in Medina University was our guide.  There were five of us including our guide.  The car had no Air-condition so we opened the windows and rode off.  We have planned to visit some holy sites inMedina. The first place we visited was the place where the famous battle of Uhud took place.  Our hearts were pounding and we were engulfed by sorrow and the joy at the same time when we saw the site. The Mount of Uhud was quite big and on the side of the Uhud was the famous small Hill where the 50Archers were placed by our Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon him).  The main attraction was the graves of the Martyrs from the Muslim Army.It reminded us of the state of our Ummah. These Shahaba gave their life for this Ummah who used their bodies to shield our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). They gave their life to dignify the name of Allah (Subu’haanahu wata’ala). But now our numbers are multiple compared to then, our armies are equipped with the latest Armory. But yet the Muslims are poor, weak and treated like dirt. Our Brothers and Sisters are massacred in front of our eyes, but the Ummah has no time even to make a single du’a for them. We are great in numbers but our hearts have hardened and we are so much devoured in this materialistic world that we have nothing in our mind but its temporary pleasures. There are dua’s made on every Friday prayer for the Ummah but the victory of Allah (Subu’haanahu wata’ala) does not come down to the quantity of people, but comes down to the quality of Thaqwa and Emaan of the people.

We left the site of Uhud and then visited Quba mosque which was the first Mosque our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) built.  We prayed two units of prayer and then left to meet a Sheikh(scholar) from Madina who was a Ustaz(teacher )in the Islamic university of Madina and he was also an Imam of a famous mosque in Madina. We got this chance because we wanted to clarify some religious doubts we had.Therefore we asked our guide to help uswith this. He took us to the mosque where this Sheikh was the Imam. He took us there because this was the ideal place to meet him. When it was time for Asr prayer we prayed at that mosque and asked a person whereabouts of the Sheikh. TheSheikh was sitting beside a Pillar in the mosque.Our guide went to him first and asked him if he could give us some time to answer few questions. He welcomed us with a bright and a smiling face and made us sit around him and asked about our names, our occupations and about our families. After that he clarified our doubts and answered our questions. One thing we noticed during our conversation was that he was very humble and peaceful. He spoke in a low voice and his words were carefully placed. He praised Allah (Subu’haanahu wata’ala)all the time and pronounced Allah’s greatness repeatedly over and over again. He was constantly engaged in dhikr (remembrance of Allah) even between the gaps of his talks and when he was quiet.

When we were done,to our surprise he invited us to his home to breakfast with him as it was Ramadan which greatly reflected his noble manners. We happily accepted his invitation and we went to his house at the time appointed. When we went there we met one of his sons (about 10 years old) outside the house waiting for us. He welcomed us and directed us to the sitting room and sat beside us. This shows how the sheikh was training his children with good manners.  After some while the sheikh came and sat with us. When we were there he tried to entertain us as much as he can by talking and sometime joking and he made us feel we were like his close friends. When the Maqrib prayer was called we broke our fast and went to pray in the mosque.

After maqrib prayer we again went to his house and met another son of the Sheikh near the door waiting for us to welcome us again. Again we were directed to the sitting room and after some while the sheikh came and sat beside us with his two sons. Then we requested him to give us some advice and he gave us some advice regarding the month of Ramadan. When t the food was ready we were invited for the feast. To our surprise there were varieties of food. We did enjoy the feast very much. And throughout the feast the sheikh was entertaining us by talking and laughing with us. After the feast it was time for us to leave and the sheikh and his sons made farewell to us.

There were many things we noticed and learned in the few hours we spent with the sheikh. The first thing that we noticed from the Sheikh was the way he welcomed us. How he greeted us and welcomed us reflected his noble manners greatly.   Next thing we noticed from the Sheikh was his constant remembrance of Allah (swa) and making of Dhikr. I heard a Hadhith that says the likeness of the one who remembers Allah and one who does not is similar to the living and dead.

The next thing we noticed was that we never saw a women or a trace of a women in the house. So this gave us the importance of keeping our women from fitnah of mixing with men. The fourth thing we noticed was how he trained his children with good manners and obedience. We were truly amazed to see the obedience of the kids and how they welcomed us and served us during the feast. The next thing we noticed was his simplicity and his humility. He the Sheikh was very open and he sat with us in the floor and ate at the feast. He served us when our food was empty and talked with us just like we were his close friends.  Regardless of being a scholar his noble character portrayed him as a very simple man. We could see that the Sheikh was very excited and was very happy for us that we had the chance to come to Madina.

This experience with the sheikh was a remarkable and a memorable experience and in the few hours we spent with him our hearts were filled with deep love and deep respect for him. And beside the answers for our question we gained a lot of knowledge from his noble manners. Like Imam Az-Zuhri once said” We would come to a scholar and what we would learn of his manners would be dearer to us than his knowledge”.  This was truly the case we experienced with the sheikh. May Allah bless him and his family.

(I did not mention his name because I know he won’t like to be mentioned)

Some beautiful sayings of Ibn Mas'ud

One of the sayings of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) was that a man said in his presence, "I do not like to be from among the companions of the right hand, but I would like to be from among those who are nearest to Allah." 'Abdullah said, "But there is a servant here, who wishes that when he dies he will not be resurrected again (meaning himself)."

He went out one day, and some people followed him, so he asked them, "Do you need anything?" They said, "No, but we want to walk with you (as your followers)." He said, "Go back; you are humiliating yourselves and may do so to me." 

And he said, "If you knew about me what I knew about myself,you would pour dust upon my head." 

And he said, "I preferred the two unpleasant matters: death and poverty; by Allah they are in reality wealth and life, and I do not care which of them I may be afflicted with, as I will seek Allah in each of them; if it is wealth, it means I am going to meet Allah, and if it is poverty, I will be patient."

And he said, "As you walk in the night and day your age decreases and your deeds are recorded, and death will come suddenly. Whoever sows good deeds, he will harvest goodness, and whoever sows evil deeds, he will harvest regret. Everyone will reap what he sows; he will neither precede a slow man according to his fortune nor catch up with an eager man unless it is destined for him.”

“Whoever does good, must know that it is Allah, who allowed him to do so, and whoever is protected from evil, must know that it is Allah, who protected him”.

“Pious people are masters, jurists are leaders, and accompanying them will increase your good.”

“They are two: guidance and speech. The best speech is the words of Allah and the best guidance is that of Muhammad (peace be upon him). The worst matter of all is innovations and every innovation is a novelty, so do not be disturbed by hopes and do not waste time.”

“Whatever is coming is near at hand and whatever is far will not come. Whoever is unhappy was destined to be so, when he was in his mother's womb and the happy servant is the one who takes the examples of others.”

"Killing a Muslim is disbelief, abusing him is an evil doing and the Muslim is not allowed to abandon his brother for more than three days; he must greet him when he meets him, answer him when he calls him, and visit him when he is ill. The most evil account is that of lying. Lying contains no good, neither in cases of seriousness nor joking nor when a man promises his son something and does not fulfill it. Falsehood leads to wickedness and evil doing, and wickedness leads to the Hellfire and Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. It would be said to the truthful person that he was truthful and pious, and it would be said to the lying person that he was lying and wicked. Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to us,
"And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person and a man may keep on telling lies until he is written before Allah as a liar.”

“The most truthful speech is the Book of Allah, the most correct word is the word of piety, the best religion is that of Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him), the best Sunnah is the sunnah of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the best guidance is the guidance of the Prophets,
the most honorable talk is remembering Allah, the best account is the Our'an, the best matters are its consequences, and the worst matter is innovation. Whatever is little but sufficient is better than what is a lot but distracting. A soul that you save from evil is better than an emirate that you cannot control. The worst excuse is when it is the time of death and the worst regret is on the Day of Resurrection. The worst error is that which is done after guidance. The best wealth is the wealth of the soul. The best provision is piety. The best content of the heart is certainty, and doubt is disbelief. The worst blindness is blindness of the heart. Wine is a collection of evil, and unrighteous women are the traps of Satan. Adolescence is a kind of insanity, and wailing is a deed from the pre-Islamic era.”

“Among people are those who attend Friday prayer and hardly pay attention to it and remember Allah with his tongue but not with his heart. The gravest sin is lying, and whoever pardons people Allah will pardon him. Whoever restrains his anger, Allah will reward him, and whoever forgives, Allah will forgive him. Whoever is patient during disasters, Allah will recompense him. The worst of profits is usury, and the worst kind of eating is devouring an orphan's property. Whatever satisfies the soul is enough for you. The destiny of each of you is the grave. Matters depend upon their consequences. The most honorable way of dying is the death of a martyr. Whoever is proud, Allah will humiliate him, and whoever disobeys Allah, will obey Satan.

People who have memorized the Our'an should be known by the night when people are sleeping and he is awake, and by the morning when people are not fasting but he is, by his sadness when they are happy, by his crying when they are laughing, by his silence when they are slandering, and by his piety and humility when they are arrogant. He who has memorized the Our'an should be tearful, sad, wise, patient, and calm, he should not be rude, inattentive, loud or cruel.

Whoever assaults others because of his authority, Allah will degrade him. Whoever is humble because of his piety, Allah will elevate him. Allah has a gathering and Satan has a gathering. The gathering of Allah promises good and believes in right, while the gathering of Satan threatens evil and doubts right. If you see such gatherings seek refuge with Allah.

“People have many good sayings, and whoever's words agree with his deeds, he would have been granted goodness, and whoever's sayings contradict his deeds, he is simply scolding himself.”

“I hate to find a lazy, empty man, who neither works for his worldly living nor for the Hereafter. He whose prayer did not command him to do right and did not forbid him from doing wrong. It will not be of any use to him; it will only increase the distance between him and Allah.”

“Undoubtedly one should never please people by displeasing Allah, should not praise anyone for that which Allah had bestowed on you, and never blame anyone for that which Allah did not grant you. The blessings of Allah will not be gained according to someone's desires nor will they be removed because of someone's hatred. Allah in His justice and patience makes the soul happy by being content, and makes sadness and grief when one doubts and is discontent.”

“As long as you are performing prayer, you are knocking at the door of Allah, and whoever is knocking at the door of Allah, Allah will open it for him.”

“Man almost forgets the knowledge he has gained because of the sins he has committed.”

“Do not neglect knowledge and guidance, or the light of night, renewed hearts, and wearing worn clothes. In this way you will be known in the heavens and hidden from the people of the earth.”

“The hearts of man pass through two phases: activity and inactivity, so seek your hearts while they are in the state of activity and control them in the phase of inactivity.”

“Knowledge is not being able to narrate several accounts but by being pious.”

“The disbeliever may have a stronger and healthier body but he has the sickest heart among them, and the believer has the healthiest heart among people but perhaps the weakest body. By Allah, if your hearts are sick and your bodies are healthy, you would be lower than an insect in the sight of Allah.”

“The servant of Allah will not reach the reality of faith until he reaches its top, and he will not reach its top until poverty becomes preferable to him more than wealth, humility more preferable than honor, and until the one who praises or dispraises him are equal in his sight. Man comes out of his house with his religion and returns with nothing. A person comes to you while he cannot do anything for you nor your soul, either good or bad, and swore by Allah to others that he is good and he flatters you, and he returns and does nothing from what he wanted and Allah is not pleased with him.”

“If I mocked at a dog, I would be afraid of being changed into one.”

“Sin is whatever the heart is not comfortable with.”

“In every look, Satan will seduce you.”

“With happiness comes sadness. Every house that once was filled with joy will be faced with examples and each one of you is a guest and his money is a loan; the guest will travel and the loan will be repaid.”

“Later in time there will be nations whose best deeds will be reciting among themselves and listening to evil reciters.”

“If man wanted to be treated justly by his soul, he should visit those whom he would like to be visited by. The right is heavy but healthy, and evil is light but harmful.”

“Perhaps one desire causes long term sadness.”

“There is nothing on earth that badly needs to be imprisoned more than the tongue.”

“If adultery and usury appeared in a town or village, it is a sign of its coming destruction.”

“Whoever could put his treasure in heaven so that it would neither be eaten by worms nor stolen by thieves; he must do so, as the heart of man is his treasure.”

“Do not imitate anyone concerning religion; if he believes you, you believe and if he disbelieves you, you will disbelieve. If you must imitate, you should imitate dead people as the living are not protected from seduction.”

“None of you should be weak. They said, "What do you mean by weak?" He said, "He says, 'I am with the people; if they are on the right way I will be on the right way and if they go astray I will go astray. One should adjust himself to adhere to Islam even when people disbelieve."

A man said to him, "Teach me words that are complete and useful." He said, "Worship Allah and do not worship any partners with Him, adhere to the Our'an whatever it says, and whoever calls you to the right accept it from him even if he is far from you and odious, and whoever calls you to what is wrong reject him even if he is a lover and close to you."

“The servant of Allah will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and he would be ordered to render back his trust, and he would say, "0 My Lord! From where? The worldly life has gone." Then this trust would be shaped as it had been during this worldly life but it will be in the bottom of Hellfire, and he would fall down after it, put it on his shoulder, and begin to come up until he thought that he is about to come out, but it would fall again and he would fall after it forever."

“Submit your heart in three situations: when listening to the Our'an, during gatherings of remembering Allah, and during times of solitude. If you do not find your heart in these three situations, ask Allah to grant you with a heart, as you do not have one.”

AI-Junaid said, "I visited a youth, who asked me about repentance and its reality. I answered him and said, 'To put your sin between your eyes (never to forget it) until death comes to you', and he said to me, 'No this is not the reality of repentance', so I said to him, 'What is the reality of repentance according to you?' He said, 'To forget your sin.' And he left me and went away.' So I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) "0 Abu Al Qasim! What is it according to you?' He said, 'It is like what the youth said.' He said, 'How is that?' He said, 'If I was in a state of alienation then Allah moved me from this to a state of devotion, then remembering alienation when one is devoted, is alienation."
Source: Al Fawaid by Imam ibn Al-Qayyim

Some of the sayings of Imam Az-Zuhri

" There are three things if found in a judge, he is not a (true) judge: dislike for criticism, love of praise and aversion to removal from the position"

"The best thing the people can pursue is sense of honor. Shunning the company of useless people is wisdom and avoiding them is better than talking to them."

"One of the banes of knowledge is not to act upon it until it is gone. it is also among the banes of knowledge not to benefit others with it. Another bane is forgetfulness. But the gravest bane of knowledge is untruthfulness."

The essence of worship is piousness and abstinence. Knowledge is the righteousness. Patience is to endure undesirable things and to call unto the way of Allah upon righteous deeds."

"Turbans are crowns of Arabs. Gift is a source of protection for the Arabs. Sleeping in the mosque is a succor for the believers."

Source: The biography of Imam Az-Zuhri by Salaahuddeen 'Alee 'Abdul-Mawjood

Some of the sayings on death bed

Muhamad ibn Wasi bid farewell to his companions and said: Peace be upon you, either to the fire or to the forgiveness of Allah."

Ibn uyaynah said, "when death came to Muhammad ibn al- Munkadir he became apprehensive and so the people summoned Abu Hazim and he came. ibn al- Munkadir said to him " Allah says: 'And there will appear unto them from their Lord that where with they never reckoned' and I fear that things will become clear to me and confront me that I never expected." Then both of them broke down in tears. Recorded by ibn Hatim and ibn Abi dunya adds in his report , so his family said " we called you that you may console him, but you have only increased his apprehension."

One of the devout worshiper on his death bed was asked about his state and he replied:
"None who enters the grave knows what lies awaiting, Save Allah,the One Who to graves is leading"

One of the companions was overcome with anxiety at the time of his death and he was asked about his state to which he replied , "Allah took his creation in two handfuls, a handful for Paradise , and a handful for Hell, and I have no idea to which handful I belong".

Nakhai wept at the time of death saying " I await the messengers of my Lord, and I have no idea he will give me glad tidings of Paradise or Hell".

Source: The Journey to Allah by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

The bravery of Abu Bakr as- Siddiq

Once during his caliphate, Ali ibn Abi Talib (May Allah be pleased with him) stood up before the people and delivered the following sermon:

“O people, who is the bravest of all people?” Those that were present answered, “You are O leader of the believers.” Ali said, “Lo, I never entered a duel with another man except that I came out victorious over him. And yet the bravest of all people was none other than Abu Bakr as-siddiq (May Allah be pleased with him). We once built a command center for the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), and we said “who will stay with the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him),so as to prevent the polytheists from attacking him?” By Allah not a single one of us approached (to volunteer for the job) except for Abu Bakr who with his sword unsheathed, stood over the head of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). Abu Bakr then fought against anyone who tried to attack the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and so He is the bravest of all people”.

“I remember the time when I saw the Quraish opposing the prophet (Peace be upon him) and physically shaking him violently, and all the while they were saying to him, have you taken our gods and made them onto one God, by Allah not a single one of us stepped forward (to defend him) except for Abu bakr who struggled against and struck one man and pushed violently another, and all the while he was saying (to them) : woe upon you, are you fighting against a man because he says: My Lord is Allah?”. Ali then lifted the robe he was wearing and began to cry until his beard soaked in tears. He then continued, “I ask you by Allah was the believer from the family of pharaoh better or Abu bakr?” the attendees of the gathering then began to cry along with Ali who said, “by Allah, Abu bakr for an hour is better than the believer of the family of the pharaoh even if clones of him were to fill the entire earth: the latter kept his faith a secret, while the former openly proclaimed his faith.”

Source: The biography of Abu bakr as-siddiq by Dr. Ali Muhammad Muhammad As- Sallaabee quoted from “Al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah(3/271,272)".